Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-10-29

a'NNb PhOhohc''tA
with the business of farming. He
works in town but lives in the country
is better lawyer practically for being
also farmer, and better farmer
theoretically for being lawyer, and
the two have made him philosopher.
He is q eat friend of labor, believes
in short days of work and long nights
of reading and rest. He regards iron
workers and miners as the most intel
ligent of working classes, and farmers
as the most ignorant. The former
have given most attention to literature
affecting their interests; the latter,
perpetuating the agricultural methods
of medieval times, have no time for
other than work, sleep and eating.
Incidentally he alluded to modern
methods of education rs not measuring
up to the achievements of "old-feld"
life and times in the schoolhouse, and
the JOURNAL made note of his ohser-
walton that the graduate of forty years
ago of "brush college" who
could not draw correctly a legal
paper in ordinary use, such as deed,
agreement, mortgage, ETC., did not fill
large space in the scholarship of that
day. Consequently, while the schools
have advanced their facilities with the
introduction of lady teachers, mechan-
ical equipment, shortcut paths and
fnecut definitions, the scholastic
standard of the States pupilage has
been lowered.
Mr.. Shepherd is under contract to
visit the JOURNAL next summer, or we
might be with him yet, so entertaining
was he and kindly attentive his affable
family.
The country between Warlensburg
and Kansas City is exceptionally fine.
Good buildings and fencing betoken
profitable farming, and great sweeps
of level land, here and there inlaid
with broad squares of new wheat,
furnish mighty picture of autumn
russet sparkling with "sweet fields of
living green"-one of those fragments
of land and sky which on creations
morning fell, like Eden, out of Paradise
to bless human eyes with stretch of
Heavens own landscape.
Back in Kansas city, the great Ex
position building was explored. Cow
ering over four acres. it is the largest
and most substantial building in the
world ever erected in 100 days. 1t
took an army of wOrkmen to do it, but
they did it. The managers claim more
floor space and skylight than afforded
by the similar dimensions of any edi-
flee anywhere. In all departments,
textual, mechanical, agricultural and
mineral, the displays are surprising in
extent and beautiful in arrangement.
The best of western discovery and de-
velopment in all lines is here, and its
merits proclaimed by ladies and gen.
tlemen stepped in occidental lore and
fluent with superlative logic. The
JOURNAL made the circuits of base
ment, ground floor and gallery on two
occasions with great pleasure and
profit.
The next notable tour of exploration
was made through one of Armour's
packing houses. We saw hogs rail-
roaded from time to eternity with a
perfection as remarkable as the opera
tion was skillful. Beeves and sheep
also are slaughtered every day in great
numbers. The several processes are
marked by work thoroughly clean, al
though a stencil of unspeakable vieor
and pungency "damns the atmosphere"
of the mammoth edifice and the
regions roundabout. Some time last
year Secretary Bayard partially ira
versed the same establishment. He
moved along bravely until, inspired
by a sickening stomach, he begged for
pass to go out. The JOURNAL, more
fortunate, visited ultima Hme-in other
words. the lard furnaces, and lost the
majority of distressing nasal catarrh
found in the rain on the shores of Lake
Michigan.
The stockyards near by are striking
features of the magnitude of one of
Kansas city's lines of business. A
great extent of ground is thus occupied,
and the demand for "more space" still
grows.
Everything artificial here develops
with almost fabulous expedition. 1t
is as though the city had borrowed
from the mighty stream which washes
its foundations the magic of the genii,
endowed with the strength of Her.
cules. In 1882 the JOURNAL, standing
in view of the turbid Missouri, sur
veyed an island of Sc acres nearly
opposite the town of Wyandotte, Kan
sas, suburb of Kansas city. To-day
it is gone-to change the path of the
steamboat elsewhere.
On shore the bluff, here and there is
steadily yielding to pick and shovel ;
old houses are giving way to palaces
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